


Buddy & Darnell

by mystery_notebook



Category: Buddy Thunderstruck (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, basically just fluff, i hope i spelled their names right lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-11-01 18:45:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10927800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystery_notebook/pseuds/mystery_notebook
Summary: Uncreative title. The boys become friends and then more-than-friends. Uh, kinda.I really really loved this show and actually wrote this a while ago!!! Finally got the courage to post it, haha.also: something something can't sleep without holdin' onto a motherfucker





	Buddy & Darnell

Buddy and Darnell met after high school, but they probably would have been friends in high school anyway. They were a year apart-- Darnell a bit older, believe it or not. Though Greasepit only had a few "recognizable" faces, it had a fair amount of people in it, so while their high school was small it wasn't exactly tiny. Either way, none of that really matters.

 

Darnell became a mechanic almost immediately after graduating, "interning" with Leroy and taking some classes on the internet. It was something he had always been interested in, and he took to it immediately and enthusiastically. Buddy was a little less sure about what to do with his life, and even enrolled in Bucko's local "law school" for a month or two before a) he decided that he wasn't smart enough to be a lawyer and b) Muncie sat him down and told him it was a scam. After some introspection, he decided to settle for working at his family's auto shop alongside their new hire, Darnell.

 

Then, you know, they fell in love. With each other, kinda, but mostly with the old semi-truck that Auntie Uncle gave buddy for his 20th birthday. They fixed it up together and drove it around together and discovered that, just like Darnell was super good at fixing, Buddy was super good at driving. Which was something he already knew, really, but when Darnell suggested he enter the weekly races he felt like he'd finally found something to do with the rest of his life. And, you know, someone to do it with.

 

And there wasn't one big sweeping declaration of love, but there were a lot of little ones. Like when Buddy asked Darnell to move out of his parent's basement and into his garage loft, or when Darnell surprised Buddy one summer morning with some sort of thunderstruck turbo-drive prototype that he'd been working on for months in secret.

But the first time either of them said it out loud was just that one time they were hanging out a year or two after they first met, and Darnell tossed Buddy a bag of beef jerky that he'd picked up on the way over.

 

"I love you, Darnell. Is that weird to say?"

"Not at all! Beef jerky elicits strong feelings in people."

"No kiddin'. You know, man, I made a GOOD dang decision."

"What, quitting law school?"

"No, dummy! Pickin' you as my best friend. I've seen you every day for the last two weeks and I ain't sick of you yet."

Darnell smiled, weirdly touched. "Thanks, buddy. I'm not sick of you yet, either."

 

And just as soon as it was said, it was over. Buddy smiled and said something about catching the last half of some action movie on TV, and they watched it side-by-side, commentating the whole way through. After that was a late-night horror movie called _Invasion of the Brain-Switchers_ , and though the production value was pretty low, it had strong cinematography and a very compelling plot. The whole way through, Darnell kept thinking what Buddy had said-- it didn’t mean much, but it had felt special. He didn’t manage to say it in return, however, until the movie had long since ended.

 

\---

 

"Hey, Darnell? This may be outside of your jurisdiction as best friend, so if it is, let me know."

Darnell opened his eyes to look at the bunk above him, brought back from the brink of sleep.

"Yeah, sure. What's up?"

 

"Well, I was gonna ask if I could.... I dunno, hang out down there with you for a while. Just to get my mind off that dumb movie."

"Hah. What's the matter? You scared a brain-switcher's gonna get you?"

"Yes, very much so,” Buddy replied, very earnestly.

 

"...Oh. Then, uh, yeah, same. That movie creeped me out real good, man."

 

"Right? See, I'm not crazy. I just keep thinkin about you bein' replaced by one of those things overnight. I'd wake up in the morning and you'd be gone and i'd never know!"

"Or YOU'D be gone!"

"And YOU'D never know!"

 

The boys shuddered in unison.

 

"Well geez, man, if you wanna hang out down here with me, I don't think that'd be out of my, uh, jurisdiction. As best friend."

Buddy said nothing in reply.

 

"...Uh, Buddy?"

"You know what? As much as i appreciate it, Darnell, on second thought I may be safer up here than down there. I don't think a brain-switcher would bother climbing up all those steps to get to the top bunk."

 

There was a silence as Darnell thought long and hard about a brain-switcher giving up on climbing those steps and going for him, instead.

 

"Dang it, Buddy, now _I'm_ super creeped."

 

Buddy hesitated before poking his snout down to look at his friend.

"Well… if you want, you can uh.... you can hang out up here instead. Ya know, if it'll make ya less creeped."

Darnell looked at his friend’s face, upside-down over his, and actually did feel better.

"Yeah, alright. That would actually be awesome."

 

He scrambled over the edge of the bunk bed, in a t-shirt and boxers (the boys had actually remembered to change into pajamas for once) and Buddy caught him against his chest as he awkwardly lurched onto the mattress. Darnell steadied himself and they pulled apart, laughing.

 

"You're right, I do feel way safer up here."

"Truth be told, I feel safer too. No way one of those little things could get both of us at once, right?”

 

Buddy shuffled over and pulled back the blanket a bit, Darnell somewhat nervously weaseling (ferreting?) his way under the comforter beside his best friend. The bed wasn't too big, but it fit them both comfortably-- darnell laid on his side, facing his friend but still trying not to touch him out of courtesy.

 

“Thanks, Buddy.”

“No problem, man.”

 

Buddy laid back down beside Darnell, looking up at the ceiling. He sighed, like maybe he was thinking about something, and Darnell turned over to face him.

"You alright?"

"Sure, man. You?"

“Yeah." Darnell replied. "Did you really mean that, earlier?”

 Buddy looked over at him. “What, about law school?”

 

“No, not about-- I meant that stuff about me being your best friend.”

 “Oh! Yeah. Yeah, heck yeah I did. Why, am I not yours?”

 “No, no! You totally are! We’re... best friends, buddy. That’s awesome. You’re.... you’re awesome.”

 

After a moment’s hesitation, Buddy smiled again and turned to face Darnell. Before anyone could say anything, he threw an arm around his friend and pulled him up against him in a hug. Darnell was stunned. They had been close, but not like this. He tried to make the most of it while it lasted-- the smell of engine grease and cheap shampoo, the warmth emanating from Buddy’s fluffy chest. He gathered the courage to hug him back, and put his all into it-- the two boys embraced as if they'd never done it before. If this is what Best Friends was like, then Darnell was all for it.

 

He completely expected Buddy to push him away when it was over, but instead he just relaxed with Darnell still in his arms. Darnell smiled without really meaning to, and let his arms settle around Buddy’s waist. This should have felt weird. Why didn’t it feel weird? This was all so new, but none of it really felt new. It just felt like it always felt-- warm, happy, safe. Natural. Like saying something would ruin it, but he said something anyway.

 

"....I love you, Buddy. Is that weird to say?"

 "Not at all. Buddy Thunderstruck elicits strong feelings in people."

 "Dang it, buddy, I meant... like..."

 "Aw, I'm just joshin' ya. I love you too, Darnell."

 

Darnell laughed, closing his eyes, and rested his snout on Buddy's chest. Yep, still felt like it always felt.

 

"I think I really like this, Buddy."

 "I really like this too, Darnell."

 


End file.
